Monthly Archives: November 2012

Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Tomorrow marks the first day of our last month. Well, on the Mayan calendar of course.

Yes, as it appears, “Mayan Dayz” are indeed done! The Discovery Channel (and then some) would like to scare you into thinking Doom’s Day is upon us. Is the world is coming to an end? I say, trust! This is a quite simply a sign of way cooler horizons. For example, this week’s Idelic Hour playlist.

Digging through my now damp crates, it was not hard to find records about death and “the end,” but a trickier bit is figuring out what’s ending exactly ? Some say it’s just the Mayan calendar—like “Adios, dude. Mayan calendar, you have no more pages left in your book!”

My “idelic” conclusion is that it’s more about the end of old ideas and the way mankind perceives itself in the world. December 21st marks more of a hello to a fresh perspective.

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There’s a compelling counter balance at work with The Joy Formidable. On stage, the trio’s ferocious sonic assault is literally thunderous, explosive, and transformative—yet in person, Ritzy, Rhydian, and Matt are disarmingly warm, funny and approachable, and none too shy with the shared enthusiasm for a rummage through a record store when the opportunity presents itself.

The band was in Washington, DC on November 10th to play a special benefit for Saint Stephen’s Church organized by DC’s Positive Force which we chronicled here in the days following.

That afternoon, prior to soundcheck the band descended the stairs to Neal Becton’s Som Records. With local luminary Kid Congo Powers acting as host, the band set about just as we do here at TVD HQ with our Saturdays—rummaging for records.

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“The first record I ever remember getting or listening to was The Clash’s Greatest Hits which, I remember listening to on Saturdays in my Dad’s car on the way to watch the football or pick up some Chinese food.”

“I remember the track “Somebody Got Murdered” being the first track to jump out at me from these angry lads. It was my first experience with music that wasn’t Diana Ross or Frank Sinatra, two acts whose records were common place in the Clark household. I was sold on The Clash after one listen, then decided to find other bands who sounded as good to me as The Clash did—it felt like I opened the flood gates.

When I began to write songs I took many of my influences and wore them on my sleeve. I used to want to sound like Jeff Buckley, then I wanted to be Conor Oberst. It was only until I thought about how I wanted to be regarded as a songwriter that I started thinking about my own sound.

One record that I was always aware of was Neil Young’s Harvest; this album taught me how to really put a song together. I suppose up until that point I hadn’t thought about my identity as an artist, and Neil Young’s way of writing and recording enlightened me to this. Neil Young is one of my favourite all time guitar players because he plays from the heart, and most importantly, from the song.

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San Francisco’s The Avengers were one of the USA’s great punk bands. They not only rocked with intensity and imagination, but through the talents of vocalist Penelope Houston made it clear the California wing of the punk gestalt wasn’t just a boy’s club. And that’s the achievement for which she is most celebrated, but Houston has also worked outside the punk rock paradigm in a solo context. Birdboys, her 1988 debut under her own name is a fine record that’s deserving of far wider appreciation.

The Avengers made some great racket in their original incarnation from ’77-’79. While extant they were responsible for one of the finest of the Dangerhouse singles in the “We Are the One” 3-song EP, but the rest of their fine initial discography appeared post-breakup, a circumstance that helped to keep them fresh on the minds of those attuned to punkish affairs for a good long while after their too brief creative spurt.

Well, that and the band’s rep as openers for the Sex Pistols’ legendary last gig at San Fran’s Winterland. Toss in a production credit by the Pistols’ Steve Jones and the esteem of worthy punk theorist Greil Marcus, and The Avengers shape up as one of the enduring pillars upon which the pre-hardcore American punk experience sits, registering not as a group that was destined for a short existence due to youth, snot, and barely being able to hold it all together, but instead as a fully formed and confident expression of the music’s vast potential. And so much of their sturdiness came right down to Houston’s impressiveness as front-woman.

This is why the band’s reformation in the ‘90s was no great surprise. That decade found Houston and original guitarist Greg Ingraham touring and recording new material with replacement members to a solid response, an activity that’s continued right up to the very present. And while it’s surely cool that Ingraham is a member of the reformed lineup, it’s basically a plain fact that without Houston there would be no reason for The Avengers to exist in the here and now.

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It’s not often an artist goes from “First Date” to “family” here at TVD, but in the case of Jordan Corey, we were taken with her kickass voice and attitude—and y’know, she does indeed have this thing for vinyl. As such, we’re delighted today to debut her latest live video clip and give you guys an opportunity to get your hands on her debut 10″ record. Ths floor is now all Jordan’s…

“What’s up all! Stoked to be teaming up with TVD to release the LAST installment of my Live Recordings at Sonora Recorders! “Heart Of Stone” was the first song I wrote with the great Dan Dixon for my record, Do Me Wrong.

“Heart of Stone” is a real, take-no-prisoners tune that sets the tone for the entire album. It’s this song, combined with the grit of “Tonight,” the attitude of “Good Love,” and the sass of the rest, that gave Do Me Wrong a beating heart.

Not only am I beyond excited to share this session video with TVD readers first, I am ecstatic to be giving away FIVE limited edition, hand-numbered and signed, 10” records!

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